sciencetech-blog

comments

Mount Etna erupted this week spewing plumes of volcanic ash that disrupted flights into and out of the Italian city of Catania.

The eruption, which began on Sunday, wasn't serious enough to trigger an evacuation of the mountain villages nearby.

It did, however, cause a temporary closure of two air space corridors in Catania - the busiest airport on Sicily and one of the most frequently used within Italy.

Mount Etna has erupted spewing plumes of volcanic ash that disrupted flights into and out of the Italian city of Catania. The eruption, which began on Sunday, wasn't serious enough to trigger an evacuation of the mountain villages nearby

The stunning pyrotechnic display was the first of the year, with much of the activity coming from a region in the south-east side of the volcano.

The latest update from Volcano Discovery says: 'There are no significant variations in activity have occurred during the past days. Small lava flows are being fed by the new fissure vent at the eastern base of the North East crater.'

Mount Etna stands almost 11,000ft (3.4km) above sea level, looming over the whole Italian island of Sicily.

It has been active for thousands of years, although its first eruption of modern times was thought to be in 475 BC.

It is so well-known it was written about by the Ancient Roman poet Virgil, who called its eruptions a 'roar of frightful rain'.

It did, however, cause a temporary closure of two air space corridors in Catania - the busiest airport on Sicily and one of the most frequently used within Italy

The stunning pyrotechnics display was the first of the year, with much of the activity coming from a region in the south-east side of the volcano

Mount Etna stands almost 11,000 feet above sea level, looming over the whole Italian island of Sicily. It has been active for thousands of years, although its first eruption of modern times was thought to be in 475 BC

The latest update from Volcano Discovery claims: 'There are no significant variations in activity have occurred during the past days. Small lava flows are being fed by the new fissure vent at the eastern base of the North East crater'

Eruptions are rarely dangerous, but they can kill. Etna's most deadly moment came in 1669, when a series of blasts killed 20,000 people and destroyed the town of Catania.

But farmers stayed in the area because the constant eruptions made the ground fertile.

In 1992, Etna posed another serious threat when lava streams headed towards Zafferana, a town of 7,000 people.

In a spectacular operation, Italian and U.S. soldiers used controlled explosions to divert the flow.

Etna's blasts are known as Strombolian eruptions - caused when gas bubbles in molten magma accumulate underground and rise to the surface.

These pockets of molten earth then burst in a fiery show, sending plumes of lava and ash hundreds of feet into the air.

Volcanic ash clouds can pose problems for aircraft. The immense ash clouds that erupted from Iceland's Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in 2010 caused chaos for the airline industry.

No one really knew if it would be safe to fly, and technology to accurately detect the plumes of ash had yet to be developed.

Since then, a number of ash detection systems have been created to make flying around volcanic sites safer.

Mount Etna is so well-known it was written about by the Ancient Roman poet Virgil, who called its eruptions a 'roar of frightful rain'. Eruptions are rarely dangerous, but they can kill. Etna's most deadly moment came in 1669, when a series of blasts killed 20,000 people and destroyed the town of Catania

In 1992, Etna posed another serious threat when lava streams headed towards Zafferana, a town of 7,000 people.In a spectacular operation, Italian and U.S. soldiers used controlled explosions to divert the flow

Etna's blasts are known as Strombolian eruptions - caused when gas bubbles in molten magma accumulate underground and rise to the surface.These pockets of molten earth then burst in a fiery show, sending plumes of lava and ash hundreds of feet into the air